FALL is here!

   
     I never liked fall when I lived in New England. Yes, of course, I loved watching all the leaves turn colors, and the cool, crisp air that comes with it, but still...everything would die. Everything turned muddy, too cold too quickly, brown was the main color on the ground, in the trees (once the harsh winds blew all those pretty leaves off), and even the sky gets less colorful as summer fades. The memories of summer beach days and pool parties were fading. The worst was the nights - they get SO cold, so fast! You go from shorts and t-shirts to needing bulky coats and shoes with more coverage from the rain, wind, cold and mud. It was time to put away the motorcycles for another year, and forget about boating til late spring.

     Then I moved to Arizona and that all changed!

     Now when fall comes, it's a wonderful event! The days aren't quite so hot, with daytime temps under 100 now. The early mornings are usually around the mid-80s so you get more motivated to get up early and get your outside errands done. The car isn't hot enough to bake cookies (or your hands on the steering wheel) anymore.

     We don't have typical trees full of sugary sap that makes their leaves change colors. Most of our trees are palm trees, citrus trees (that hold green leaves year-round), a few evergreen trees, which I've always felt were out of place here, and some shrub type trees used for landscaping.

     Although we don't have colors blooming on our trees, we do have colors blooming elsewhere.  Fall is when many flowers are able to bloom again now that it's not too hot.  Our normally green prickly pear cactus turns a pretty purple color once the nights are cold.

     The Phoenix Zoo's rose garden is amazing during the fall! All kinds of roses in different sizes, shapes, colors, and hues.

     The fall sky here is something we wait for here too. Because of the monsoon season and dust storms that come in until early fall, the sky that can be pretty all year, really comes alive with beautiful sunsets in reds, golds, oranges, blues, and purples. They're the prettiest sunsets all year. I always look forward to them.

     Fall means it's cool enough to start adding more outdoor activities to our schedules. Just like in colder states where you stay in for the harshest winter months, we stay in as much as possible during our harshest summer months. In the fall, people start walking, riding bikes, hiking trails, and even mountain climbing since there's so many here to pick from.

 

   We have pumpkin and chili festivals just like the rest of the country. We celebrate fall with apples, squash, pumpkins, cinnamon, cider, and other fall flavors. The only difference between our Thanksgiving and that found elsewhere is that ours is often held outside in back yards and on patios. I remember the first time my in-laws came to AZ for a holiday meal (it may have been Christmas), we ate outdoors. It was so strange they said. We love being outdoors in the fall (and winter) here.

     It's time for us to pull out our crock pots, chili and soup recipes, and find local pumpkin festivals to visit on the weekends. It's time to find new walking trails, and find restaurants with outdoor seating.

   
     I'll end with my absolute favorite thing about fall here in AZ, it's the Arizona Fall League baseball!

It's where all the teams send their best AAA, AA, and international prospects to see what they can do. They combine prospects across baseball to form 6 teams, each representing 5 MLB teams each. We buy a pass that retails for about $120 (although we get it deeply discounted) and that allows 6 people to every single game, and there's 3 a day, Monday through Saturday, free parking, open seating - yes, we sit 1st row behind the dugout - and includes admission to their Homerun batting challenge, mid-season All Star Game (the best prospects are showcased), and even the final World Series type championship between the 2 best teams. The best part, as if that's not enough, is that only about 700 - 800 people show up per game, instead of 30,000 - so you can get lots of autographs, photos with the players, and even get to know a few of them. It's the best 6 weeks for minor leagues.

What's YOUR favorite part of fall?

Effort

     Effort is described as a vigorous or determined attempt.  I remember growing up hearing how important effort was. I was told that effort was required in doing chores around the house, doing my schoolwork, doing homework, learning something new, working on the job, it was expected everywhere, in everything I did. So what changed with our society?

     Over the last two decades or so, effort has become a bad word. People have become very lazy and content with sub-par work. I don't get it. How can a student be told he or she did a bad job at say, doing a school assignment, given a chance to redo it for a better (and sometimes just a passing) grade, and the student shrugs his or her shoulders and says, "Nah, that's okay." and walks off?!!!  How can they just not care whether they pass, fail, or never complete something? 

     How does an employee get called into the boss' office to be told he didn't do the job right, and they simply say, "okay" and leave without fixing it? 

     How does a family member be told to do something to help out the family, and she just never bothers to do it? 

     What happens at that moment when a person has the chance to choose to make things right, or to just give up and walk away failing to do what has been asked? What thought process happens/doesn't happen to make someone walk off content with never doing things well?  
     

     What can we do today to teach those we're responsible for to do the right thing and give their best effort? I believe it starts with accountability. Hold them to a standard, hold them accountable for their actions, or lack of actions. Whether it's your children, students, employees, or whatever the situation, we need to become part of the solution - not part of the problem.

     If more people were held accountable for their effort, things would change. Imagine if the chores weren't done around the house, so the child actually lost privileges like in the old days? Maybe it's a few days without their cell phone? It could be no computer time, or not getting to drive the family car.  If there was something to lose, perhaps the child would give more effort to do what was EXPECTED of him or her.

     What if you have students who don't do their work, and don't pass the tests, and don't care if they pass or fail?  Perhaps working something out with the parents would change a bad attitude. Maybe have the student stay after long enough to miss the bus and have to walk home (with the parents agreeing not to pick them up either)? Or maybe the student has to eat their lunch in a separate class and work on assignments for the lunch time? Or what if the student has to maintain a particular grade average to be allowed to participate in certain groups, clubs, or even field trips? There are things that matter that could become rewards for effort rather than expected free gifts just handed out, regardless of effort put forth.

     On the job site, I may be very old-school on this, but I believe if you don't give your best effort, you're showing you don't want nor care about the job - and it should be given to someone else who IS willing to do their best.  If you're habitually late, you should be docked from your pay, and after 3 times, fired. If you constantly call in sick without extenuating, serious situations, you should be fired and replaced by someone who wants to come to work and earn that paycheck day after day.  If you don't do your work at an acceptable level of competency, speed, and accuracy, you should seek more training to improve, not wait for a boss to offer it. They have better things to do than monitor every single employee's daily attitude. If you don't care enough to improve, you should be replaced by someone who provides a daily effort to improve and do the job well. 

     Effort is the opposite of laziness. If you aren't willing to give your best effort to things, there should be consequences.  Laziness should carry uncomfortable or disappointing consequences so that effort is rewarded. 

     Let's stop allowing society to grow lazier and careless. Stand up and let those you're in charge of that you now carry expectations on them, on their effort, that a lack of effort will no longer be accepted. If we all started doing this, our young adults, graduates, and employees would turn this nation around so we could once again be known as hard-working Americans.

I love when Italians rub off on me!

   

     Ever since I returned from New England, I've been on a cooking kick. I love to cook anyway, but this is above and beyond my "normal" amount of cooking - especially in the summer heat. I didn't realize it at first, but I spent 13 of the 14 days surrounded by Italians, or in their homes, or eating in an Italian restaurant. I absolutely loved it. It felt like "home", even though I'm not actually Italian. I must have some Italian blood in my somewhere! I've always felt at home among the Italian families and neighborhoods growing up.

     In the last week, I've made so many home cooked meals, I've lost track. I made a Shepherd's Pie tonight (which is traditionally Scottish, made with lamb), but I made it with a mix of ground beef and veal, adding sauteed onions, mushrooms, and garlic. I made a vegetarian version for my daughter that also had red & green peppers, shredded carrots, and peas. I topped both of them with sauteed corn (organic of course), and finished them with homemade mashed potatoes, which I mashed by hand. No hand mixer tonight. I can't tell you how good they both came out, but I know I'll be making this again really soon - just in larger batches!

   







      I bought the ingredients to make an authentic chicken parmigiana tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. I made sauce this week to go over some goat cheese and roasted pepper ravioli, topped with a dollop of mascarpone cheese. The sauce cooked for over four hours and what a difference time makes! It was so good that I'll be making more for the chicken parm. tomorrow.


     Just to mix it up, I'm going to make an authentic Mexican dish this week too. I'll make chicken (and cheese-filled for my little vegetarian) enchiladas, in a homemade salsa verde, topped with Mexican crema, along with Mexican rice, and homemade refried beans - not from a can, from loose pinto beans). I love cooking so I'm looking forward to making things I've never cooked before - like tomatillos.

     Oh yeah, and while we're on the topic of Mexican food, I also made tacos this past week but instead of putting the meat and things in a tortilla or a shell, we used jicama slices instead. I'd never had it before, but it tasted great. The crunchy texture was perfect and the barely there flavor was perfect, not overpowering anything else.

     Next week after all this I think I'll make some Asian dishes I've never done, like a Lo Mein, some chicken dumplings, and spring rolls.

Are you hungry yet?

Top 10 Things I did while on vacation this summer...

This summer I traveled to New England where I was born and raised. I visited the city of Boston, the suburbs of Peabody and Methuen in Massachusetts. I traveled to Salem, Portsmouth, Dover, Somersworth, Rochester, and Milton, New Hampshire. I also drove up the coastline from Salisbury Beach, through Seabrook, Hampton, North Hampton, and Rye Beaches. Here are my Top 10 things I did while on vacation (in no particular order):

1. I spent time with my family: grandmother, aunts, uncle, cousins, second cousins...including those that flew in from Florida and Texas.

2.  I got to meet my niece for the very first time!

3.  Met up with an aunt I hadn't seen in 21 years! She's still as sweet and beautiful as she was then.

4.  I went to a pizza party at my sister's in-laws' home they hosted for OUR family.

5.  I had lunch at Cheers with my daughter, and the out-of-town cousins from TX & FL.

6.  I got to see Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox! 

7.  I got to shop and have lunch at Quincy Market behind Faneuil Hall in Boston.

8.  I went to the New England Aquarium to see penguins, an octopus, sea turtles, sharks, jellyfish, and more!

9.  I spent a day with my dearest friends. Sue I've been friends with for almost 40 years. We spent most of the day with her, her husband Craig, and her two boys. Then we had dinner with Jen, who I've been friends with for about 17 years, and her daughter Shelby. Her son Nick couldn't make it.

10. Had a beach day. We had pizza at Salisbury Beach, MA, drove the coast up to Rye Beach, NH for a whale watch, then back to Hampton Beach, NH for shopping, sand & wading in the ocean, ate fried dough, and got matching henna tattoos.

I did so much, yet still had time to rest, spend time with the baby, go sightseeing in Boston to see the architecture, drive through the towns we used to live in, go to the malls, went to the top of the Prudential tower to see all of Boston (and Fenway), went to Dunkin' Donuts (of course), and go out to eat many times. It was exactly the right amount of time. I'm so proud of Jordan too. She handled flying, going on a boat, going into the Atlantic Ocean, took a bus, at "beach food", and met about 25 relatives - all for the very first time. 

on Ziggy Marley

 

     I just got done watching Guitar Center's show Sessions featuring Ziggy Marley. What an amazing person he is! Having grown up with a lot of Bob Marley music in my house, I actually like reggae. I don't necessarily go out and purchase it, but when I hear it, it stirs something in me that makes me want to dance, to be free. The thing that was always a little more difficult was how Bob Marley always had a message about the physical condition of things, politically, economically, socially, etc. I think he was a strong man who used the power of music to try to change people, to bring awareness to situations the world, at the time, would rather have turned away from and pretended ignorance. He was fighting for people, the poor, freedom, and independence. Although he had a philosophy of how love and peace could change the world, I believe his son, Ziggy Marley has a way better take on it.
     Ziggy is a calm, loving, peaceful, deep-thinking person who lives his life on a different level. He spent most of the interview carefully thinking over each answer to the questions. He tries to keep everything on an even keel. What I like most is how he views what's important and how to change people. He said that unlike his father, his music, his lyrics, have very little to do with the physical condition of culture. It's more about what he calls "the spiritual".  Now I know just because someone says they're spiritual that doesn't mean anything without defining that meaning further. It can mean anything from deeply devoted to the Creator, to being one who chases horoscopes and tarot readings. What Ziggy said when asked one day what religion he was, he answered, "Love. Love is my religion." It isn't divisive, it isn't about rules, it's about making everything you do and say about loving others - even your enemies - because THAT could really change the world, he said.
     When asked about commercial success, he took a long time to answer. He revealed he doesn't really follow what culture is doing. Music today has no real meaning or message to make the world a better place. It's selfish, about drugs, sex, money, and fame - none of the things Ziggy cherishes or chases after. He again restated who he is, on the inside, is reflected NATURALLY in the music and lyrics he writes. It's not planned. It doesn't change to follow what's popular. It's the natural extension of how he wants to bring people together, love people, and make the world a better place.
     It's hard to talk about reggae musicians with many people without the topic of marijuana use coming up. On a side note, unlike in his father's day where it was thought to heighten your "religious experience", Ziggy's stand is like many today. He stands for it being utilized properly for medicinal purposes, without abuses, and makes the point that alcohol, drugs, and even prescription chemicals all have worse, non-natural side effects, destroy families, and have been a lot more abused, leading to all kinds of violent crimes. His stance is a more responsible one than many would think.
     What if we all took on a little of Ziggy's perspective? What if we really did stop looking at the physical problems around us like politics, economics, and wars, just for a little while, and focused on reaching out to love others. Not love like you hear in the music industry today where there's abuses, violence, meaningless sex, lack of any type of responsibility and commitment. Real love. Helping others who are in need. Opening our hearts, minds, homes, and wallets to those who are in real need and trying to survive (not lazy ones looking for freebie handouts). What if we were part of the solution to help get kids off the streets? The homeless into safe places? Feeding the hungry? Helping those willing to work get the opportunity to learn the skills they need? Or the ragged, the clothes needed for an interview? Although I personally would call myself an imperfect follower of Christ, what if we all thought about making love our "religion" (or perspective, in my case), the organized set of rules we play by. After all, isn't that how we're supposed to treat each other in the first place?

What it's like to be a Mom...

   Being a Mom doesn't mean you only care about your own children. It means you understand what it's like to have children, you understand what other Moms go through in the best and worst of times, you empathize when you see someone hurt by thinking, "I can't even imagine if that happened to my child, his/her Mom must be so shaken up", and suddenly, ALL children, even the ones that are young adults, can move your heart. Here's a few examples:

1.  Last night watching the Dbacks game, Rookie Pitcher Archie Bradley pitched a ball and the batter hit it at 115 mph. It shot straight back to the mound and hit Archie in the cheek. Terrible to see, makes you sick to your stomach, but we watched him in Fall League when he was still a prospect. We watched him struggling to overcome obstacles on that field, cheering for him in the stands. Last night, my heart sunk, tears welled up in my eyes, and one of my first thoughts (besides throwing a quick prayer up to God that it's not as bad as it looked) was, "His mother is going to be scared to death when she sees that, she'll be worried sick and so upset she can't be with him here in Phoenix."  Watching him just lying, not moving on the mound for what seemed like an eternity, wondering if he was unconscious with a fractured skull or jaw...it was horrific. All the "what-ifs" play through your mind, after all, he's barely in his early 20s, this could change his whole world. Fortunately, tests and CT scans showed a miracle - he was never knocked out, no concussion, no broken jaw or cheekbones, it missed his eyes, no missing teeth, only severe swelling and today they'll check to see if the changes in his sinuses are anything to worry about or not. He was back from the hospital and back in the park to congratulate his teammates after the game. He was more upset that he had to leave the game. He did an audio only interview after the game, sounded great, and said the first thing he did was call his Mom. He made sure to get some quick face time with her so she knew he was okay and he said it put a smile on her face. Even manager Chip Hale mentioned how hard this all was, not just as a coach, but as a parent. Can we parents relate?

2.  Facebook friends had posted a photo of a young boy around 6th grade or so that had been bullied, with various bruises and cuts on his face. This one hit close to home because it was from the school where my sisters went, just down the street from where I went to 8th grade. The FURY that goes through Moms when we see this is hard to explain to someone without kids. We want to not only go after the bullies that did this, but the bullies' parents too! Our protective nature extends beyond our own children. Our heart can break in an instant with just a glance of a photo like that. I just don't understand how some parents can allow their children to do this to another child - maybe they don't know about it - but the school absolutely should call them in to see what their kids did. If they refuse to accept responsibility for their kids behavior, then some kind of mandatory counseling or public service giving-back project should be given as a sentence to those bullies.

3.  In the movie Courageous, the first 5 minutes are absolutely heart-stopping. If you haven't seen it and plan to, stop reading and scroll down because I have to spoil it for you to explain my point. Anyway, in the opening scene, there's a gentleman who leaves his truck after pumping gas to go inside and pay the clerk. You see a punk teenager (around 20ish) steal the car and start to take off. The man runs out and literally jumps on the side of the truck, hanging on for dear life, reaching into the window to grab the steering wheel to turn the truck off the road. He's screaming for his life and trying to stop the man. You sit there watching thinking, it's just a truck - let it go and call the police. You have a description now. Then he manages to get the truck to veer off the road, the driver gets out, surrounding drivers and observers stop to help the man saying the usual, "it's just a car"...then it happens...he opens up the back of the crew cab and there in the back seat is his infant son strapped into his little car seat carrier. At that moment, every Mom's eyes instantly well up with tears at the what-ifs. We experience after-the-fact panic, fear, and relief, all at the same time. I won't ruin the rest of the movie for you, but if you're a Mom, you'll be tearing up all the way through that movie!

4.  Okay, let's bring it around with a happy note. We've all seen those heart-touching Facebook videos people share that have comments like, "grab the tissues" or "touching moment".  We Moms are so drawn to those. Sometimes I have to stop myself and say, "No. I can't go there right now" because I know it's going to affect my heart. Sometimes it's a child seeing their parent for the first time after returning from serving in the military oversees. Sometimes it's a baby hearing for the first time. Maybe it was a bride surprised by something touching her husband-to-be, or father did at the wedding to surprise her (children don't have to be babies). What about when you see a child born with a disability who overcomes to do something you wish YOU were strong enough to do? It could be a kind gesture to a hurting student. A child holding up a sign saying, "Cancer Free!!!"

   It doesn't matter who's child it is, being a Mom isn't just about raising your own child, it's about joining a community of warm-hearted women who allow themselves to be vulnerable to embrace moments in the life of a child, even if it's someone else's child. There is something so special about hearing the name Mom that changes everything.

PS:  I want to quickly state that I believe there are many Dads out there who also feel like this, and I understand there are parents out there who are not good parents. With that said, understand I write this from MY perspective.

Have a wonderful, warm and fuzzy day,

SPRING

   What is it about spring that we all like so much? In many cases it's to get out of a long, cold winter. Here in Arizona, we don't have those. We have beautiful winters and very hot summers, usually between 105 and 112 degrees. So what is there to get excited about here during spring?

    What do I like about spring? SPRING TRAINING! It's the beginning of baseball season again! I love baseball. I follow the Diamondbacks and the Red Sox, but also enjoy watching the Cubs and the Giants. Because of trades, we may tune into another team's game just long enough to see some of our previously local players perform on their new team. Baseball stands for everything I hold dear...family time together, Patriotism, American pride, singing God Bless America, raising youth with heroes that have worthwhile values, teamwork, hard work, appreciating the fans that make the players' lifestyles possible, giving back to the community - especially the Phoenix Children's Hospital here in AZ, I could go on and on. We start counting down the days til Spring Training as soon as the day the Fall League Championship Game happens. For those who don't experience Fall League, it's where lots of MLB teams send their top 6 prospects and 6 teams are made up of the prospects from 5 different teams. We watched The Rafters team last fall. It was made up of players from the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Rockies, Astros, and Marlins.  Last fall Jordan and I were able to attend about half the games, our feet resting on the dugout, bringing friends with us, catching the foul balls, and enjoying discounted prices on beverages and burgers. Lots of fun.

    Spring also brings a change of flowers. The cacti bloom, the saguaro pops open it's large white flowers for about 2 weeks, and once we hit 100 degrees or close to it for a day or two, the purple jacaranda trees bloom overnight.

   Although spring tells us that the heat of summer is coming fast, the "cold spells" that we get make us appreciate those last few cooler days better than anyone else, anywhere else. Today is a good example. It's been in the 90s already, and should be hitting 98/99 degrees in a few days, but today, it's only in the low 60s this morning, the windows are open, it's sprinkling (we haven't seen rain in about 3 months) and the high today isn't supposed to pass 79 for the high today. It's truly a day that makes us get outside while we can.

   Spring also brings a change in the grass and lawns. The winter rye grass turns yellow and dies off. Then in early May, the dormant Bermuda grass pokes through and stays hardy all through the heat (if watered appropriately). Right now is that transition time. Ours looks dead. The neighbor with a professional lawn company coming every week has yellow patches in his lawn that was dark green just a few weeks ago. It's a time of transition. It's a reminder that it's a good time for changes. It's about doing what needs to be done (outside) now, and to prepare for staying indoors more during the summer. People always ask if we hate staying in during summer - I ask, "Don't you hate being cooped up in your house all winter long? Driving in snow and ice?"  Truthfully, we have about 8 - 10 weeks of heat that's at the top of the thermometer average, but I still think that beats having 5 to 6 months, or 20 - 25 weeks of snow, ice, and frigid cold. I love living in Arizona and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. When it gets too hot, just drive 2 hours north up into the mountains and it's about 20 degrees cooler, perfect for camping.

   I have actually found that summer gives me a chance/excuse to stay indoors and do things I don't make time for while it's cooler out. I get to watch baseball on TV when I'm "stuck" inside from the heat. I get caught up on scrapbooking in my new craft room. I get more reading done. I also get to do more crock pot cooking and grilling, which is so much easier and doesn't heat up the whole house. There's lots of places to swim here too if I want to get outside. We're even pretty close to Saguaro Lake if I want a day at the (lake) "beach".

   So while lots of people are waiting to plant their flowers, dust off their patio furniture, clean their grills, and see the color green again, I'm just as excited for the transition that we make in AZ.